NAPA - Napa County Farm Advisor Ed Weber died suddenly on Dec. 31, 2007, at the age of 51. Edward Allen Weber was born Oct. 16, 1956, in Covina.

Ed had been a vital member of the Napa community since 1983, when he became the viticulturist for the Joseph Phelps Winery. In 1988 he joined UC Davis Cooperative Extension as the viticulture farm advisor; a liaison among the university and its researchers, growers, winemakers, and state and local regulatory agencies. He was promoted to the position of county director in 2001.

In the wine industry, Ed was known as a great educator, communicator and problem-solver. With his exceptional speaking and writing skills he was able to take the most complicated data and convey its importance to the general public in concise and interesting language. He also published in peer-reviewed scientific, scholarly journals.

In June of 2006 Ed was honored by UC Davis Extension for his excellence in teaching and outstanding service in continuing education. In 1998 he was recognized for his dedicated and enthusiastic leadership as program chairman of the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium, and in 1996 the American Society for Oenology and Viticulture recognized his outstanding work on their Technical Projects Committee.

Ed grew up in Covina, where he graduated from South Hills High School in 1974. He attended UC Davis from 1974 through 1982, earning a B.S. in plant science and an M.S. in horticulture/viticulture. After graduate school he spent a year at the Riecine Winery in Gaioli, Italy, working as assistant to the wine maker and vineyard manager.

In 1985 Ed married his college sweetheart, Anne Jungerman. He became a devoted family man with the arrival of their three sons: Reid, 17; Grady, 13; and Owen, 10. Ed was actively involved in his sons’ activities, attending their school and sporting events, coaching soccer and baseball teams and going on family vacations. Among those were joyful weeks spent at UC Berkeley’s family camp, the Lair of the Bear, where avid and enthusiastic camper Ed was known as “Mr. Lair” during “Week 2, Camp Blue” over the last six consecutive years. Ed’s close-knit and large extended family gathers frequently for reunions, beach weekends, ski trips and holiday celebrations. As a founding family of Stone Bridge School, Ed and Anne helped to create, cultivate and benefit from its large and supportive community of friends.

Ed enjoyed his own athletic activities, including street and mountain biking, basketball, annual family football games at Christmas, and he was highly respected in the local close-knit volleyball community. He played in USA Volleyball Masters Division games, coached, and refereed high school and college matches. Last month Ed was chosen by the North Bay Volleyball Officials’ Association to referee the state volleyball championships in San Jose. He was known as a confident, excellent player who exuded infectious positive energy, loved the game and always had a wonderful smile.

Ed was a true Renaissance man. He loved being outdoors, working in his garden, doing home repair and building projects, and playing with his boys, dog, cat and parakeet. He was a devoted and beloved uncle to five nephews and four nieces.

“Ed Weber was a man who made life happen around him. He was invested in his family, in activity and sport, in coaxing living things from the earth, and in enjoying his home. Ed was a quiet man, heard and closely regarded by many,” said friend Alan Atkinson.

Ed is survived by his wife and sons; his mother, Wanda Minnick Weber of Napa; and sisters, Susan Weber of Berkeley, Jane Weber McCabe of Laguna Hills, and Marilyn Weber Kleinhein of Los Angeles. He was preceded in death by his father, Eugene Arnold Weber, M.D., and sister, Elizabeth Haynes.

There will be a public memorial service to celebrate Ed’s life on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2 p.m., at the Beaulieu Vineyards, 1960 St. Helena Highway, Rutherford. Parking will be extremely limited, so please carpool or take public transportation. The contact person for the service is Alan Atkinson at 477-5962.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to “The Owen, Grady and Reid Weber College Fund,” with this number on the memo line: 441 250 9650. Donations can be mailed to Washington Mutual, 699 Trancas St., Napa, CA 94558; or dropped off at the memorial service or Stone Bridge School.